From: James Still <still@kailua.colorado.edu>
Date: Thu, 7 Oct 93 07:30:40 PDT
To: 'Cypherpunks List' <cypherpunks@toad.com>
Subject: RE: PGP removal
Message-ID: <2CB43647@kailua.colorado.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



>I first got pgp2.2 from compuserve ibmsys forum downloads.
>A few day ago the file finder on cis listed PGP2.3. When I actually looked
>neither program was there. Sysop says the were removed on advice of his
>lawyer(not compuserve management ) because of government crakdown.
>and questios of legality.  The not so subtle hand of intimidation by
>rumor seems to be at work here. Just thought this would be of interest.

Several months ago I uploaded a program I wrote called PGPShell (which is
a DOS front-end for PGP) to Compu$erve's IBMSYS forum.  For most people in
Russia who do not have FTP access or reliable links to the West, CS is their
only way of obtaining PGP or related utilities.

Even though it performs no encryption on its own, PGPShell was soon deleted
from the IBMSYS forum.  I assumed it a mistake, and uploaded it a second 
time.
Same thing.  It has been three times now, and I'm certain that it has been
deleted again; my only hope is that during those brief periods when it was
there, my new-found friends in Russia had a chance to snatch it.

Ironically, while Yeltsin dissolves free speech and authoritarianism returns 

to Russia, Compu$erve has been further trivializing its already 
"top-40"-esque,
politically-correct venture.

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